Dewhurst camp: “It was the kids, Ted.”

David Dewhurst’s Senate campaign Monday released a new online-only ad throwing a dramatic jab at Ted Cruz.

The bit, complete with “B-Horror” film grain and creepy music, alleges Cruz’s involvement in defending private builder Robert Mericle, a key player in a 2008 scandal known as the “kids for cash” scheme. Mericle was accused of bribing two Pennsylvania judges into harshly sentencing juvenile delinquents to his private facility in exchange for kickbacks.

“What won’t Ted Cruz do for money?” the ad copy asks.

According to The Dallas Morning News, Cruz did not defend Mericle against criminal charges, but did represent him in an appeal against Traveler’s Insurance Company. A U.S. District court had ruled the insurers were not liable for legal costs or damages against Mericle resulting from the allegations.

“This Pennsylvania prison scandal is just as unrelated to the Texas primary as are Chinese mining tires,” said Cruz spokesman James Bernsen. “Ted Cruz has never represented this individual in any criminal proceeding anywhere.”